Yearly Archives: 2010

Gratitude Journal Nov. 1-7, 2010

Twice a month I attend a call as a member of a coaching group made up of people establishing and growing businesses as coaches. The other members are very good at bringing in discussions of Positive Psychology and personal strengths.

That means that pretty often they talk about ways they record their gratitude, because research has shown that the active practice of recording specific reasons you felt grateful during the day increases your happiness. It leads to improved mood and a brighter outlook. That sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?
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Improvisation

Last Tuesday I met with Francie Cooper, my co-host of the Tapa Palapa podcast. We met to plan our schedule of topics and record an episode.

I suggested a topic, and although we decided on a different theme, that topic kept showing up. It was so adamant I decided to capture it myself and share it as a Twisting Road™ Travelcast recorded on my phone.

I’m trying to get a feel for ten-minute podcasts, but I didn’t look at a clock or watch for this one so it’s just over twelve minutes. Still should be easy to listen on your computer or download to your MP3 player, iPod, or phone.

[display_podcast]

In the podcast I mention John Williams of Screw Work Let’s Play fame. I reference a video of his interview with improvisational comedian Neil Mullarkey, which you can see below.

I also mention the fre-e-book (fr*ee e-book) I’m preparing to offer. I still have to finish formatting it, learn the settings to upload it to my autoresponder, and get all the code in the right places to offer it. Learning as I go!

Neil Mullarkey – 25 years without a script from John Williams on Vimeo.

The Hive Mind

Just a couple of days ago my older son was talking with me about his plans for the next few months. He had already told us he wants to take off next semester from college and work full time so he can save up money to be able to afford to share an apartment with his friend.

What he added this time is that he feels like he’s stuck going to school, like he has to but doesn’t want to. He said it feels like a cloud lifts when the semester ends, but all he really has to look forward to is a few weeks of reprieve while another cloud forms on the horizon. He said he needs to find the reason why he is going to college, a positive reason based on moving him closer to where he wants to be in his life, not a negative reason like keeping other people off his back.

Then he told me he needs to take some time to figure out who he really is. He looked at me and asked, “Dad, can you understand that?”
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Was I Speaking Up For You?

I raised a question on behalf of internet marketing newbies (including myself) when I posted a comment to a blog post a few days back. The post was about building an e-mail list. My comment looked like this:

Brilliant! But, uhh…. we have to figure out what we’re going to sell first, right? I run into a lot of people trying to grow a list and then figuring out what they might do with it. I don’t bother with a list because I don’t have my first training product ready yet. Hoping my enthusiasm to share it with people will drive my list-building efforts when it’s on the launchpad.

That comment was on a post about how to have the best chance of making money through internet sales if you have just a month to do it. It’s an entertaining read, as much for style as for content, because it was written by Naomi Dunford of IttyBiz. Yes, that IttyBiz – the one with 35,000 subscribers.

How do I know she has that many? Because she mentions it in the blog post she wrote as an answer to my question. [gulp] So… I tried to cram a complicated dilemma into a blog comment and didn’t make my main point clear. Naomi responded to what I actually wrote and chastised the dumbass I appeared to be.

In front of 35,000 people.
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What, Am I Nuts?

[audio:http://twistingroad.com/audio/2010-1006-Jamboree.mp3]
A fellow coach and I are working on a project together. We plan to start posting a weekly podcast in January. It’s forcing us to think through a lot of things — content ideas, topics, format, marketing, logistics, technology — and we’re having a blast.

Since I’m heading to the Joyfully Jobless Jamboree in Austin next week I decided to take on a project to help me get experience with the technology. I’ll be recording audio updates and hopefully talking with attendees and recording those conversations. I plan to take time to upload audio files while I’m there so the attendees can enjoy this added component and those of you who aren’t there can enjoy the celebration.

I will even take my video camera and see if I can record and upload some video to the “Twisting Road Traveler” YouTube channel.

Like I won’t already be busy with the Jamboree! What, am I nuts?

What Do I Do?

Naomi Dunford of IttyBiz posted a challenge to readers to write up and publish what we do. Not in a formal or detailed way, but just as responses to some simple questions.

I bit!

Not only was it fun, but doing it reminded me that the way we get more clear about what we do and how to describe it is by… well… doing it and describing it on a regular basis.

Are you up for it? Here are Naomi’s instructions, her questions, and my answers.

How To Play

Go find a cup or glass. Fill it with something.
It’s late, so just water for me.
Copy the questions below into some kind of document.
Check. I do most things in Word. Because it’s there.
Stare vacantly into the distance for a while. Check Twitter a couple times. No, thanks. Already did, nothing new.
Take the laundry out of the washing machine before it starts getting moldy. Put it in the dryer before I sat down.
Answer the questions and put them onto your blog with some kind of introductory information. Check
Click publish. If you’re reading this…
Eat some cake. Love this idea, but out of cake. And it’s really late so I’m not going to the store. But if I DID go to the store I could get some ice cream…

The questions:

What’s your game? What do you do?

I help people reclaim their productivity and their creativity so their work can be aligned with their natural gifts and talents and enrich the rest of their lives. I mentor, I teach, I coach, I push, and I cultivate people. I also train people to lead through mentorship.

Why do you do it? Do you love it, or do you just have one of those creepy knacks?

I do it because it’s who I am. I found out it’s the thing I do without even trying. I get jazzed about people getting out of their comfort zones, stretching themselves to take on new challenges, and shining some light on the hidden and undeveloped parts of themselves. I think of this as a great movement, liberating people from drudgery and misery.

Who are your customers? What kind of people would need or want what you offer?

My people have been wearing off-the-rack jobs and off-the-rack lives for as long as they can remember. They keep trying to stuff themselves into other people’s boxes and cubicles, but they don’t fit. They physically feel the life draining out of their souls when they think about staying on the same path the rest of their lives. They want the freedom to be themselves, authentically and uniquely.

What’s your marketing USP? Why should I buy from you instead of the other losers?

I get so excited about helping you nurture your core self and watching you discover your gifts and talents and develop them into your full potential that it’s pretty close to impossible to stay stuck when I get involved. You have to have your heels dug in. You have to be up to your ankles in concrete. No, make that up to your knees in steel.

What’s next for you? What’s the big plan?

I’m developing a format for a weekly podcast with a fellow coach, Francie Cooper, and I’m working on a manuscript for a training product called Anything But Marketing! Immediate next thing is the Joyfully Jobless Jamboree.

Now it’s your turn!

Particle Physics Humor

From a wonderful thread on a friend’s Facebook page. Enjoy!
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Two atoms are walking down the street one day, and one of them says to the other:
“Hey, wait up a second. I think I lost an electron.”
The first atom replies, “Are you sure?”
The second atom exclaims…

“Yes, I’m positive!”
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A proton, neutron, and electron went out to dinner one night. After a luxurious meal, the waiter brought the check to the proton and the electron. The neutron was perplexed as to why the waiter didn’t bring him his check. So, he summoned the waiter to the table and asked him about it.

The waiter explained to the neutron, “For you, there’s no charge!”
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A neutrino walks into a bar. The bartender yells, “We’re closed!” The neutrino says, “Sorry, just passing through!”
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Anyone have more? Please post in the comments.